


a harsh hearing when men are froward

by tothemoonandstars



Category: Taming of the Shrew - Shakespeare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Gender Roles, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderswap, References to Shakespeare, basically a play on gender conventions in the play (ha), the women embody male dominance and virility, we stan bianca minola, while the men are expected to conform to the gender norms of being subservient women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 14:04:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16306607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tothemoonandstars/pseuds/tothemoonandstars
Summary: Petruchio wishes to flee from this abomination of a wedding and to put on his best apparel for his supposed wife, Kate; but it is merely a wish.





	a harsh hearing when men are froward

**Author's Note:**

> a creative task for school!

A set of stomping and discourse can be heard just outside of the town square, and Petruchio and all other men who attended the wedding are seen quarrelling.

“I swear to God, I am going to avenge the embarrassment that uncultured gilt has brought upon me!” Petruchio rants and stops his charge, nearly making all the half worried, half disgruntled guests bump into each other. He thinks to himself for a moment, notices his psychedelic apparel in disarray and readjusts his ruffled vest. Gremio snorts at the act and rolls his eyes as if saying “That is in no way helping with you dressing like a clown”, and Petruchio sends him a death glare. 

He continues his speech, this time with a straight back and collected voice, “Thank you for coming to the wedding, my fellow gentlemen. I know a feast and all kinds of extravaganza are prepared, but I have my own plans and my butler is already waiting for me. So, farewell.” The guests’ eyes dart to each other, some in shock and some in annoyance, and start clinging to Petruchio, begging him not to go. Petruchio starts struggling and cursing at the men who are now grabbing and pulling at his clothes, and suddenly whisper-shouts Hortensio among all the din, “Shush, the ladies are coming!”

“Ha! Ladies, he said.” Gremio comments mockingly, sending all the men into fits of giggles. They all seal their lips and the sarcastic thunder of two pairs of boots clacking across the terracotta floor send them all standing in one uniform line and fixing their sumptuous suits. Kate and Bianca stride in arrogantly with their arms linked, move their eyes across the series of men laid out in front of them and snigger at each other. Baptista walks quietly behind them and sighs inaudibly. Kate walks up with her hands on her hips and says with narrow eyes and a handsome smile, “Well, I was just wondering where on earth my lovely groom was, but no wonder he is hiding from me, considering that he is still preening himself on this glorious wedding day of ours. It is okay, husband, for your attire to not look the way you want it to,” gesturing to the now crimson Petruchio still agitatedly attempting to fix his dishevelled clothes. Bianca cackles with her arms crossed and Kate smiles smugly to herself.

“Now,” Kate announces with a more serious tone with a none too serious face, “Who is leaving? Your screeches can be heard miles away, you know.” A moment of awkward silence passes by and the tension can be cut with a knife. “You are not leaving tonight, Petruchio, surely?” Baptista breaks the silence and blurts out, and regret and a slight hint of fear immediately appear on his worried face as he steals a glance at Kate’s face. Kate just raises one eyebrow but says nothing. 

Petruchio clears his throat hesitantly and announces loudly, “Not tonight, today.” His voice gets louder and louder as he speaks and steps out of the line of men to Kate challengingly. He lifts his chin and crosses his arms, “Good friends, I thank you all for coming to see me wed this splendid, noble wife who adores me just as much as I do her. Dine with my mother and drink a health to me. I have to leave. Goodbye everyone.”

Petruchio does not start walking away, instead he stays where he is and looks at Kate with a face of triumph. Kate stares back in a relaxed stance, one hand on her hip and an amused smile on her face. Someone clears his throat and coaxes and coos, “Come on Petruchio, you know you don’t want this. Please, stay till after dinner.” Kate holds back laughter and Petruchio’s confident expression breaks into exasperation and pouts his lips saying, “I will not.” “Just do it for me.” Gremio says impatiently, clearly displeased with how long this ruckus is going on. “No.” Petruchio answers defiantly. 

“Well then, let me ask you to stay.” It was a slow sentence delivered deliberately, carried out with a mockingly sweet smile. Petruchio abruptly turns to the origin of that strange sound, and sees Kate stretching out a gentlemanly hand in a hail-fellow-well-met manner. Petruchio frowns to himself, but promptly takes his repose and proudly announces, “I am content.”

“Content to stay?” Kate says, amused as always. “Content that you asked so nicely, but I will never succumb to your request.” Petruchio answers almost with no delay, and cheekily waits for a heated reaction. Kate says as if she knows what was to come, “Now, dutiful husband, if you love me, stay,” and takes her time in pulling the puzzled Petruchio close, and whispers in his ear, “if you don’t want to embarrass yourself further.” 

Petruchio struggles out of her grip and yells, “Grumio, where on earth are the butler and my carriage?” Grumio trots timidly towards Petruchio and bows his head at Kate while saying, “Yes, sir, they are ready.” 

Kate stares down at Petruchio, and Petruchio feels like Kate has just grown a few feet taller. “All right then, do what you like. I won’t leave today, nor tomorrow. The door is open, groom. There lies your way. Go on, get your little feet on your carriage.” Petruchio doesn’t know what it is, but he has never felt so conflicted in his life ever, how should he respond to that? Should he continue what he was just doing? It seemed fine and everything was in control! “O Kate, content thee. Prithee, be not angry.” His mockery of a cooing fails and falls apart when he loses his voice at the end of his sentence and just manages out a tiny squeak. “I will be angry.” Kate holds her dominant stance over Petruchio, “Father, be quiet. He will do as I say.” “This is starting to get interesting.” Bianca says, watching the whole drama goes down. 

Petruchio stumbles back to the group of cowering men behind him and says distressingly, “Gentlemen, please go on to the bridal dinner. A man is a fool if he doesn’t-” “They shall go to the bridal dinner, sweetheart, they are yours to command. Obey the groom, guests! Go to the feast, drink and make merry! Drink yourselves silly to toast his virginity!” Kate interrupts abruptly and unlikely enough for everyone in the room to be puzzled. “Go all out or go hang yourselves! But as for my bonny kitten,” She changes her tone and pulls a shocked Petruchio closely to her side, linking their hands and holds one arm over his throat, “He must come with his mistress.” 

Petruchio struggles against Kate’s stationary hold and tries to bite her hand to free herself. He yells in protest, “You lunatic-” Kate’s hand clamps over his mouth and continues to say, “I will be master of what belongs to me.” She says the last word with a firm glare at her pale, dwindling victim in her arms and tightens her grip. “He is my property, one of my possessions. He is my house and furniture, my field, my barn, my horse, my ox, my donkey—anything of mine you care to name.” Each pause is followed by Kate swaying to one side, bringing Petruchio along with her, and she declares her love in a singsongy way like a lovebird does. 

She suddenly snaps out of her own trance and jumps in front of a dazed Petruchio, and holds his hand while announcing, “Here he is in front of you, I dare you to touch him! I will fight anyone who dares to stand in my way in Padua, no matter how powerful they are! Sister, draw your sword! We are surrounded by the green-eyed! Prove yourself a woman!” Kate runs behind Bianca while dragging Petruchio with her, and Bianca jumps in front of them with a robust sword in hand, squats down with her legs apart. “Defy and rebel, if you dare, you the pusillanimous, the covetous! But you have to get through me first!” She swings her sword back and forth and jumps from place to place, causing the frightened men to yelp and dodge and basically raising a ruckus.

Petruchio is in shock when Kate pulls him close by the waist and says in a virile manner, “Fear not, sweet pet, I will not let them lay a finger on you. I will protect you against a million of those nymphos!” Kate throws him on her horse, and whips the animal so hard that it sprints across the square with poor Petruchio on its back screaming, and mounts her own horse after him.

Once Kate and Petruchio have left, Bianca ceases her rampage and withdraws her sword. The men all cower with each other in heaps, some look at the proud Bianca with confusion and stun, but mostly do with worship and their eyes glittering with lasciviousness. Bianca sends a wink delivered with such lechery to Lucentio that his already rosy cheeks turn crimson. She turns around and leaves with big strides and in confident air, and the square remains so painfully quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.


End file.
